Let the Symphony Last for Eternity
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: You are now currently heading for the Normal ending..
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On one floor a Wood Cutter turned Vampire Hunter stood back to back with a Pirate, on a stairwell stood a witch holding back the forces of the undead with her arcane spells. On a lone platform that stood between the two doorways was a former knight turned Vampire Hunter and the Prince of Vampires. Sounds reasonable.
The black panthers coiled their powerful muscles and charged forward their large and powerful paws hitting the ground while moonlight seemed to flash off the sharp yellow eyes and pure white fangs. Leon lashed out with Vampire Killer, expecting the impact of the whip causing a distinct flash at impact between the two. Yet the panther did something rather interesting, to say the least.
The head caved in as though to avoid the whips' strike while the body didn't stop its forward momentum. Instead it fell like black sand, spilling onto the ground into a shimmering black pool. A pool that was still flowing, though it shifted its direction towards Alucard, where the Vampire had the greater difficulty.
A claymore was good for dealing with large monsters, or slow, lumbering types, but these Black Panthers were fast and low to the ground. Which the claymore was useless against, but Alucard could not choose another weapon. This was the one that allowed him to keep his own memories of the original time line. The blade was cumbersome when he had someone fighting at his back, but he couldn't sacrifice his ability to attack if it cost him his memories.
The second panther that rushed him was suddenly knocked out of the way with a second flick of the Vampire Killer. Driving that one also into a state of black sand that pooled along the ground and past them. Beyond a flail from a red armored skeleton swung down, the spiked ball end deflected by the claymore before Alucard rushed forward slamming the blade through the red armor and fleshless chest.
The pet of the Forgemaster swooped down, its agility allowing it to get past the blade and grab at Alucards' hold on the weapon. One sharp clawed hand gripped the hilt of the blade, the other grasped the blade, its claws scraping against the metal as it sought a stronger hold. It spread its wings in an effort to pull Alucard closer to the edge of the platform, while angling itself so that Leon couldn't strike at it.
Not that Leon would have had an easy time of it, as the pair of panthers circled him like they would in the natural wild. Large ghostly skull easily larger than any human began rising up, its red eyes focused on him while a host of smaller ghosts began to swarm about in the air. A glance behind him to keep the ghosts locations mapped out, showed Leon that apparently the goal was to separate Alucard from Leon.
He slipped his fingers to the dial, switching to the white orb not easily done when one was also wielding a weapon. Sending his whip out in a flick against a ghost that was encroaching a little 'too' much on Leon's personal space. Followed by grabbing a dagger he carried at his hip, fusing the energy he felt the dagger fade from his hand as a lavender glow consumed his hand. Channeled outward as a small, but potent, sphere of energy that slammed into the large floating skull.
A single shot that dispersed its presence, before Leon twisted the dial and brought up the purple orb. His fingers danced along another dagger that also disappeared from under hand only to appear above his head in the same shade of purple. Hovering like a humming bird before flitting away in arcs of its own hue to target several of the ghosts. Yet now crowd control was becoming a problem, he could clear the area, but only at risk to Alucard.
A pressing reminder that they needed to get out of there quickly, at least so that they could get Alucard sheltered quickly inside the tower. Then Leon could unleash some of the other orbs he had collected over his time hunting Walter. While to his left, the direction they had originally came from, he could see the arcs of lightning showing that Sophia was still fighting. A promising sign if ever there was one, before he turned to face the proper direction they needed to go again.
Several birds swooped down once the last of the daggers disappeared, pecking at his face in an effort to get to his visible eye. Leaving the other one sheltered under his bangs and able to see what was coming even as he guarded against the assault.
From below unholy chains erupted into the sky anchoring themselves into the distant walls of the castle. Sliding into the seemingly solid stone as smoothly as though they were slipping into the waters of a lake. Pulling up a massive large monster from the depths below, with large meat hooks hanging near by. The hair was white, the face a sickening green that sagged as though the fluids had all left it already.
Though it was no where on the size of the Forgotten One that Leon had faced in Walters' castle, it was still easily the height of a house. Its ridged hands, were easily large enough to snatch up a human without a thought. The unholy chains pulled taunt hung this towering undead being in the air. A single large hook was stuck through its head from the back and protruded out of its mouth.
A corpse hanging from a meat hook driven through its head.
What had possessed Mathias to 'do' this to anyone? Undead or no?
"Ahh Alucard... is that what your father normally does to the Undead?" Leon asked in his best 'No I am totally fine with this display of outright cruelty' tone of voice.
Buzzing began to fill the air as Alucard gave the massive monster a passing glance. A shrug of his shoulders was lost under the high collar and volume of his cloak. "Seems his style of a mild dressing down from a century ago. I'd say he's grown positively empathetic in the recent years in this new time line."
"I need to have a sit down chat with the man," Leon commented as he threw himself to the ground as a large corpse hand from the undead swept out towards them. The force of the wind dragged him along the ground a good ways while tossing about the airborne troops. Leaving them desperately trying to get their balance back as Alucard also hit the ground.
"I am pretty sure we can not leave that monster for the others," Alucard called over in answer.
"Though I confess that I, too, find a great disdain in leaving the others our mission is far too important. Find and release the missing Belmont and we will have restored the time line, thus hopefully negating even this battle. So we must have faith in them, or it will be more than just they who will suffer the consequences." Leon answered, understanding that despite his regal upbringing Alucard 'did' care about his friends.
Alucard stood up, shaking out his cloak from having to be on the ground with his red eyes fixated on the monster before them. "I shall take off to the next platform then," he informed Leon as he took a wide swing with the claymore before he rushed the edge.
Once again he felt the weight of stone below him absorb his steps until his step went lower than expected. Making him tumble forward his arms shooting forward to try to catch himself as the platform he stood on began to break like the other part had for Trevor. Instead of the solid sound of his boots on stone he heard the sound of stone unable to handle the weight of the stone above creating a domino effect as the slab cracked and began collapsing. Alucard braced himself and sprang forward like a wolf leaping across the void. He could see the next platform they would need to access and aimed his direction there.
Birds and bats, flailed out staves were ignored as the human sized hand of the hanging undead approached him in an effort to stop his momentum. The hand was open ready to snatch up the Hunter when Alucard used his leap stone again. Jumping above the hand and boosting him the rest of the way, riding on the air waves created by the undead.
Below the final platform was a host of those rifle bearing skeletons that Alucard had seen lazing about on the way up through the outer wall. A long triple line of skeletons in robes that were either shooting, or in stages of preparation to fire those things. The loud crack of each rifle combined with the others in the squad making Alucard wince at the unwelcome noise.
The final platform was at least top empty, which afforded Alucard the time to look behind and make sure that Leon was coming to join the Vampire. Leon appeared to be getting up, having to duck again from that last undead swing. But he didn't look upset, rather instead he stood there braced with his main hand holding Vampire Killer and the other holding a dagger.
Another spell had been charged up via the orbs Leon carried, for in a rush of light and wind daggers appeared rising up into the air like a large snake. It coiled about Leon protectively before said hunter guided it with a firm hand releasing the daggers to its prey. Flying forward towards the undead being impaling all that got in its way, ripping through the wings, blood filled flesh, or internal organs.
It danced along the long body of the hooked up undead monster, ripping up from the back of the ankles. Stabbing though the knee and ankle joints before it began grinding through the chest. Shattering ribs and lacerating the internal organs like a grinder before going after other parts of the body. Black oxygen starved blood burst forth and poured down in waves to the ground below filling the air with the putrid stench of stagnation.
The Undead flailed at the assault hanging from the meat hook driven through the back of its skull. While Leon turned his attention back to the Alucard and broke into run, giving Alucard a chance to see the Vampire Killer in a non combat motion. Something that proved interesting because Leon had already stated that there was a sentient soul sealed within the whip.
Also his stance and postures were of a swordsman, and his combat prowess also spoke of someone who was more into close combat. Where as the Whip was a mid range weapon and not really suited for large hordes of monsters. So watching as the whip coiled itself up was absolutely fascinating, making Alucard realize that the whip was more than just an arcane holy item. Albeit in a strange form for such a weapon. It tensed like a snake, nearly looping itself up for Leon as the Belmont began his jumps to reach the platform where Alucard stood.
Leon wasn't an expert at whip wielding and as such the whip was actively wielding itself to aid him. Though how did Vampire Killer go from being in Leon's hands, to winding up in the hands of the Poltergeist king who then bestowed the weapon onto Trevor? It was thoughts for another time though, for the Belmont landed smoothly at his side.
"I guess its time we leave, I'll leave one last passing gift for the undead, so please, after you." Leon casually offered, extending his hand in polite gesture for Alucard to take lead. For what was, essentially, a joke he spoke it with all the calm sophistication of nobility. But Alucard got the distinct feeling that if he was left to it, Leon would probably enjoy Grant's company.
The shattering of bones, muskets falling to the ground, burning fabric flitted across Alucards' hearing as he passed through the door. The Clock Tower produced its own series of noises, from the sounds of gears falling into rhythmic place to the sliding of metal on metal as springs coiled. But it was tolerable, a background noise as simple as a beating heart really.
"And Death has seemingly joined the field of battle," Leon announced as he walked through the doorway into the tower. Brushing aside his bangs, long enough to show that he had a fully functional eye behind it. "I can think of none other who would announce their presence with a rain of scythes."
"Sounds like the old man," Alucard agreed as he began to move further into the Tower.
"... I'm sorry, but..." Leon struggled not to sputter before finishing up with, "did you just call 'Death' 'Old Man'?"
"Indeed, Death was my old magic tutor, a boring and rather uninspired one at that," Alucard answered trying to recall a single class that Death ever managed to hold. And while Alucard could most certainly recall the spells he learned, Ball of Destruction for example, he couldn't remember anything around that.
"What was Mathias doing? I understand that nobility is taught by Tutors, I myself was taught by one. But 'Death'? The embodiment of a state of being as a tutor? Why didn't Mathias teach you? He taught me after all and he wasn't even the Tutor assigned by my parents. He has all the time in the world after all!"
Alucard was actually struck curious enough to look at Leon at that point. There was an almost boyish curiosity in the Vampire about this hunter. In knowing the man who knew his father from before Dracula ever became the Lord of Darkness. An almost childlike fascination with what his father was like that wanted to use this opportunity for his own. Thus while he wouldn't bother with such bothersome noise had it come from Trevor or the others, he found himself open to answering this human.
"When I was a child, Father allowed for the sun to rise, so I only had the night time with him. But tell me, what 'was' my father like, back when he was human?"
Leon's lips turned into a stern line, recalling his youth with Mathias. He found it difficult to speak, the death of his beloved and the battles against Walter were just too close to him at the moment. Indeed it had been his problem the whole time while traveling through the castle with Alucard. The man would not be born until ages later, Leon would long since passed away. So now was the time to talk to Alucard, to share those memories. After all there was a terrible sin involved in the slaying of ones own father.
"I met him when I was very young as he was ten years my senior. We were both raised to noble families, and when my parents passed away his friendship was a comforting constant." Leon explained his tone civil and dignified. "He was eternally calm, standoffish for the most part, but he was more than willing to lend aid. Despite how he presented himself he was not one to withhold aid..."
The pair ascended the Clock Tower, the places as quiet and non confrontational as the rest of the Castle outside of the battle outside. There were no monsters to get in the way as the pair talked, thus there was no way to hide the expression that crossed Leon's face as he struggled to withhold his personal, current, emotions regarding the man in check.
"Father has committed a sin against you, that is obvious," Alucard finally spoke as he moved up another gear.
"The matter between he and I are matters of our own, that having been said... His vendetta was against God. And I'm afraid I have yet to have a full understanding of why he would turn against humanity in this manner. You, yourself, stated that he originally allowed for the sun to rise before," Leon answered, ending with a question of his own. He was so grateful he wasn't in his formal attire for this trip. Climbing up a clock tower in armor was 'not' going to be easy given what he used to wear, and the leathers he donned instead was a blessing.
"They killed my mother, they accused her of witchcraft and I was forced to watch as she burned at the stake in the town that used to exist near the Castle," Alucard explained. His tone could be considered sounding rusted when discussing the death of his mother to anyone. He jumped to the flat rotating gear and began checking to see where the next jump should take place.
"That explains all the smoke she exuded when I saw her ghost," Leon noted aloud only to find Alucard suddenly standing in front of him. Just the sudden displacement of air as the Vampire moved into position his eyes a vivid red.
"Saw her what?"
"As with your father being reborn into Soma, so too was your mother. Though from when I was alive and knew her as 'Elizabetha' into the woman you knew as your mother. Indeed when I first awoke in the Castle I was in a hallway that showed paintings of her. Later I found her ghost who warned me away from a room in the Colosseum.." Leon began slowly, noting the expression on Alucards' face was one of shock and there was this very slight expression of horror. "Death serves Mathias, was there a belief that It wouldn't bring her soul here?"
Alucard regained control of his emotions, clamping down hard on them before turning about abruptly, "when one dies a violent death and retains the anger of that death. They are brought here and become the monsters we've encountered, but those who die without anger in their heart are escorted to Heaven.. Or so I've always believed."
Leon frowned as the pale blond stalked away as he realized that maybe Alucard didn't pay enough attention to what was going on in the Castle. Then again, he was eternally the 'Vampire Prince' a vampire did not die of old age. So it was never as though Mathias was expected to die and pass on the title to his son. So Alucard could spend his whole life living the carefree, social life of a prince without ever dealing with the weight of his father's mantle.
It made the weight of the next words on Leons' lips all the more worrisome to the newly made vampire hunter.
"Alucard... have you talked to either of your parents since her death?"